Waking the Moon
by Wonder1258
Summary: A hundred years after fate ripped them apart, the haunted Sesshomaru and his beloved Kaoru are reunited. But the new world they trek through is more complicated than either could have ever imagined and they will be forced to make the most heart-wrenching choices to protect the ones they love. Will they choice each other despite the consequences, or will they part for good?
1. Prologue

All sound had gone from the plane with any sense of time she could fathom. Smoke hazed up above the armies on either side of the valley, blurring out all the warriors' faces and leaving her unsure of whether or not she should be looking north or south with her last breath. She watched them closely, though the smoke seared her eyes, looking for her brothers on either side. She felt smaller than a breath under the hordes of demons that bore down on her. Turning again toward the old witch—a more haggard creature than she could imagine—she sneered. The witch frowned and spat, "This isn't you're only choice, wench. They can still fight for you."

The witch arched her withered hand over to one of the armies, clearing the smoke for the briefest of moments so that her brothers could be seen, fierce and noble in their rich and colorful robes. Their attention was pointed away and down at the other end of the valley.

"I—I don't know," she stuttered. Of course, she didn't want her brothers to fight or even die. She didn't want any bloodshed over such a stupid quarrel. But the thought of returning back into those cold, bitter dreams that had already held her for so long was unbearable.

"They're getting restless," the witch crooned. And they were. Both armies had started to sway with impatience and anticipation. "What's it going to be?"

"I didn't want any of this," she whispered, looking up at where her brothers had been. "I didn't want any of this at all. It wasn't my choice! I wanted nothing to do with Sesshomaru when I found out he was—when I learned we couldn't be together."

"Well, fat lot of good that did you," the witch replied, "We're here and you've gotta make the choice: bloodshed for family, destruction to your home and everything you love—or a nice, little forever with me."

Tears welled in her eyes.

"Oh, it isn't that bad, sweetheart," the witch murmured, sounding almost delicate, "You'll have me for the rest of forever to keep you company." She belted out a heinous laugh that sent the horse on either side of the valley into a tizzy.

"But, I didn't want this—I was good. I tried to leave," she pleaded.

"But you didn't, did you? You _tried_ to leave, but that pretty face of his kept you aching and wishing and hoping for him, didn't it? And soon enough, you ran right back to him. Yes, sweetheart, you tried to leave, but you didn't stay away. This was your choice—you may not have wanted it, but it's yours so own it and make up your mind."

"Sessho—" she began, grasping at her dress as she failed to will the tears away.

"Oh, enough of that," the witch boomed, "He isn't here! Look around? Do you see that long, silk hair or those moon-bright eyes? I don't! And now you see: you should just pop this tasty potion and be away with me. That way, all your problems will be solved. You'll have a safe and sound family and nothing to trouble you in the world. Maybe I'll even let one of my gargoyles dress up like your sweet love sometime and we can all have a tea party!"

She frowned at the salt that ran down her face. The witch was right—trapped with her was torture, but it was better than death to all that she loved. And Sesshomaru wasn't there to save her like he had pledged a thousand times. With a halting breath, she nodded uncertainly and reached out her hand to take the crystal bottle from the witch's wrinkled palm. She swirled it and watched the pink and blue liquid dance and bubble. She tied to remember how it had tasted the first time so long ago when the only thing that stained her mind was the threat of being too happy. Gripping the cold glass tighter between her fingers, she uncorked it, looked around once more in vain for her savior, and pressed the opening to her lips.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

_Kaoru_

Despite the weather—generally cheerful, sunny, and bright—she lived in hell. Awoken from silence every morning to the thundering cry of "Kaoru," she'd scurry out of bed and into whatever candy-coated scenario her master had for her. The morning before her escape went as such:

"Kaoru," Kitsune the fox witch cried from out in the parlor, "Come here, sweetheart, it's time for your brushing."

In her nearly hundred years of capture, Kaoru had grown to sleep in with fierce regularity. Rarely was she up before the sun—only on days when Kitsune demanded a morning walk. Sleeping was the only delight Kaoru had in the world where she lived, for it was only when she slept that she could reunite with her own realm and attempt escape. During her ninety-nine years of capture, she'd tried to escape so many times she'd lost track of her different tactics and would catch and cuss herself for repeating previously failed attempts. Today, however, she had a plan.

Her plan—the first inspired idea she'd had in nearly a decade—was motivated by two pressing points. Firstly, she was under a spell. Almost a hundred years before, on the eve of her wedding, she was cursed by Kitsune, the fox witch, and doomed to sleep away her real world and to live with her in her enchanted home for all eternity. _But_ there was a catch to Kitsune's forever: if Kaoru—and only Kaoru—could out smart her and break the spell on her own in the first hundred years after her bewitching, then she would be free and there was nothing for Kitsune to do about it but find a new lap dog. Of course, this was motivation enough; however Kaoru was strikingly aware of the fact that her hundred year window was closing. In fact, she had only a fortnight before she would be trapped forever with the wretched Kitsune in the hatch-roofed hell she lived in.

Secondly, it had been nearly five years since her beloved, the demon she was forced away from with the curse, had come to see her as she slept. When she slept, she was conscious of what happened around her in the real world. She could feel the servants employed to change and wash her busy themselves with her innate kimonos of silk. She heard the crickets and June bugs sing in the summers and the trees whip themselves in the winters. Most crucially, she observed like a passing witness the one-sided interviews with her love, with the man she was supposed to marry, with Sesshomaru, Lord of the West.

Sesshomaru was a powerful Inu Daiyokai—fiercely strong and independent. Ruler of a vast dominion—the largest in Japan—he was more than respectable. He was to be feared. That he agreed to have her for his wife and to love her was a humbling thought that settled her daily. However, it had been so long since he'd last visited her in the little shrine he'd established for her on the furthest corner of his expansive manor. She feared he'd forgotten her, or worse, that he'd been killed. This was her most desperate reason for escaping. She had to find him and see she if he still wanted her—or if the worst had happened and it was only for her to die.

"Kaoru," Kitsune screamed again from the garden, "Where are you, my pet? It's time for a brushing! Come get a treat and then we'll have breakfast!"

Kaoru rose from her bed and crept toward the light sneaking in from the crack underneath the door. She gritted her teeth and pressed the door open with her foot, letting it swing wide before her while she stayed in the shadow of her room. Bracing herself, she placed one foot out into the light passed the frame and then the other until she was standing tall in the light. As she did every morning she started taking large steps, challenging Kitsune's most demeaning curse to a footrace. But, even sooner than usual with only three steps away, the spell wrapped itself around Kaoru, twisting her bones and remolding her body until she stood just a foot off the ground, a little dog to serve her master dutifully by warming her lap and barking at butterflies. She growled as she did every morning. She was a dog demon from the second most powerful clan in all of Japan. She was supposed to be able to run the whole of the island country in an afternoon. She was supposed to be able to rip thousand year trees up with a twist of her head. Now, she spent her days barely able to get the rope toys in her mouth when she was forced to fetch. It was ridiculous and offensive. She winced at the thought of Sesshomaru seeing her like she was—a little yellow dandelion with a button nose.

At Kitsune's third call, this one victorious and pressing, Kaoru bounded into the room, trying her best not to prance. There in the corner, fat and warty, sat Kitsune, working on a needlepoint like a sweet grannie. Kaoru approached quietly, decided whether or not she would bite Kitsune on the ankle like she'd done a hundred times before. She didn't. Kitsune looked down at her and smiled her yellow-toothed grin and motioned Kaoru closer.

Standing still, Kaoru said in a smaller voice than her own, "You called, Kitsune?"

Kitsune frowned. "Oh! Don't call me that, dear one! Call me Sune! You know that!"

"You called, Sune," she tried again.

Kitsune sighed and brushed off her skirt. "Come, then. It's time to brush out your fur."

"My fur doesn't need to be brushed," Kaoru replied, "I brushed my _hair_ before I came out this morning."

"Yes, dear," Kitsune said with stress behind her voice, "and you look lovely, but please, be a good puppy dog and let me brush you. I know it feels good! And then we can go out into the garden and have a stroll and then back here for breakfast."

She leaned down and picked Kaoru up with a heave and a grunt. "Oh, you are so heavy for such a little thing!"

Kaoru did her best to smile triumphantly. If only a dog could smile.

In Kitsune's lap she sat through a throughout brushing that she pretended to hate and stared out the window to the garden. Soon she would have her chance to escape.

After the brushing she and Kitsune scrambled out into the garden. Kaoru ran out ahead of her and turned back. "Sune," she called up.

"What is it dear," she replied.

"I saw so of those little red flowers you like so much when I was running last week. They weren't ready to bloom yet, but I think they are now."

"Where?" Kitsune's eyes sparkled.

"Over in the thicket."

Kitsune gazed over into the dark of the small wood. "I can't get back in there."

"I can," Kaoru offered.

Kitsune paused, then replied, "Yes, but how do I know you won't run off again?"

Kaoru lowered her ears so it looked like the comment hurt her. "I just feel badly about how I've been acting… I know that I'll be here with you for the rest of our lives and, well, I know it's hard for me, but I want to be a good dog."

Kitsune lightened considerably at this. "Well, I supposed I would like some of those red flowers. But be quick now, alright?"

Kaoru barked in acceptance and charged off into the grass. This was her plan and it was going off beautifully. True, there were red flowers newly bloom, but just a bit further in the thicket, there was her key out. In her last escape attempt the week earlier, she charged through the forest, hoping to find her way out, but she'd been trapped by a barrier Kitsune had put up when she'd been gone too long. Today, however, she wasn't going to run. No, she'd get what she'd come for _and_ some red flowers and head back, for it was night when she'd make her move. She ran for a while going faster than she could, passed the red flower patch, until she reached the dead old tree just at the edge of the forest. She jumped up the fallen limbs, stopping on the edge of a pothole in the wood. Inside, she peered and saw a valley of little red fairy eggs. She laughed a merry yip and scooped three outlying eggs into her paw, nestling them in the lining of her collar. Then she turned and ran long and fast, seizing up some flowers, and dashing back to Kitsune.

Kitsune was waiting for her in a sun chair, shading her eyes and peering off in her direction when she popped up out of the grass. She looked relieved to see Kaoru back and smiled greatly. Taking the flowers from her, she made a horrid face, "Oh, Kaoru, you smell awful!"

Kaoru lowered her head and rehearsed her line. One of those black birds chased me and I had to run very fast. I got stinky."

Kitsune braced her chest with her hand. "Poor dear! Let's get you inside and into the bath!"

Prepared, Kaoru nodded and allowed herself to be cared inside where her collar and the eggs it harbored were removed and safely set aside while she was bathed. At least she'd smell nicely for Sesshomaru when she next saw him, she thought.

The day whizzed by with little incident and soon Kaoru was off to bed for the night. When in her room, she nestled the three little fairies in her hand and crawled into bed. She knew she was kept in a glass enclosure on Sesshomaru's manor and the little fairies—eager to escape once they hatched, would have to use their magic to wake her up so she could free them. As she laid her head down she opened her palm an inch and peered inside to see the little fairies wiggling in the shells, mere hours from hatching. She smiled, closed her palm and then her eyes.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Lord Sesshomaru

The ground underneath his steps gave under his confidence. The night before had seen more rain than he could remember in many years—not that he took particular note of such things. Weather was often of little importance to him as long as it didn't obstruct his path. So he strode on despite the shifting ground, unconcerned for the carnage the mud wreaked on his pants.

Behind him, his servant Jaken stumbled along with his Staff of Two Heads barely off the ground. He breathed frantically, panting intermittently, and crying out to his Lord to slow down. He tripped over his robes and tumbled to the ground with some regularity, beseeching rest with each fall, though his cries went unanswered.

When Lord Sesshomaru did finally stop on the edge of a cliff overlooking his newly acquired land in the East, Jaken stumbled into his legs, propelling himself over the cliff and dangling over the chasm below. He grasped onto Lord Sesshomaru's pant leg, trying desperately to claw himself up. The mud on Lord Sesshomaru's pant impeded his progress so that each reach upwards only caused him to slip down further until, at the last inch of thread, his cries for help had become so loud that Lord Sesshomaru kicked his leg up, casting Jaken and the mud up and over his shoulder into a clump of bushes in the distance behind. Jaken landed with a 'thud,' but other than a few bumps seemed fine.

Gazing over his new land, Lord Sesshomaru gritted his teeth bitterly. He wasn't pleased at all with the way he'd acquired his newest parcel neither of land nor with the quality of it. Everything looked sickly and small. Even the looming trees that cast night-darkening shadows on the forest floor below seemed somehow lighter than they should have. The great beasts that roamed the forest were smaller and weaker than he'd expected monsters of their size to be. Even the puny humans in the villages along the cliffs were more disgusting than elsewhere. Frowning, he turned and charged back to the forest to make his way home.

He stopped to see Jaken in front of him, dusting himself off and blocking the pass.

"My Lord," Jaken said with a trembling voice and a cheeky grin, "Are you not pleased with your new land?"

"It is land," he replied after some time in his same, harsh tone, "What should I be pleased about?"

"Is it not vast and lush?"

"Is not all the land in this country?"

Jaken looked taken aback. "But sir! This land is your prize! It is your dowry. Shouldn't you be pleased with it?"

"Nothing they could have given me would have pleased me," Lord Sesshomaru replied with frustration edging in his voice. "I shall return to my castle now. Follow or don't."

"My liege," Jaken cried as Lord Sesshomaru walked away, "You must remember to visit your—"

Before Jaken could finish, Lord Sesshomaru turned on his heel and hissed red-eyed, "Do not speak another word. If you do—if you even consider it—I shall remember your tongue from your skill and cast it down into the wood."

Jaken clasped his hands over his mouth and clinched his eyes closed, allowing Lord Sesshomaru to pass without another word. When the coast seemed clear, he moved along behind his master, struggling to keep up and tripping over himself just the same as before.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Kaoru

The three fairy eggs hatched to find themselves further trapped in a larger cage. But no matter how they grew or changed or pushed or pulled, the little fairies found themselves stuck with little hope of ever escaping from the glass coven that held them tightly prisoner.

The first of the three fairies to hatch—and the obvious leader of the group—was a buxom purple fairy called Airisu said to her sisters, "Surely, there must be some way out of this place. Have you tried burrowing under the glass?"

"It's metal," the largest of the three, a green fairy called Tsuta replied, "We can't get through."

"We'll have to try harder then," Airisu replied, "If we're ever to be free we must certainly escape from this place."

"But how did we get here," Tsuta asked, "Fairies are born in hallows—last I was born I was in a hallow."

Airisu nodded. "Right. Something is off about this whole thing. Maybe we've angered the queen fairy somehow."

Tsuta nodded in unknowing agreement.

Their youngest sister, a delicate and beautiful red fairy called Bara, however, had yet to speak. Instead, she hovered over the large demoness that slept in the coffin with them.

"Bara," Airisu snapped, "Come over here. We're brainstorming."

Bara rolled her eyes. "Do you think this thing could help us?"

Both of her sisters perked their eyebrows with hesitation.

"Unlikely," Airisu replied.

"What is it," piped in Tsuta.

"How is it that you know where you're supposed to be born, but you don't know what she is," Bara snapped.

"It's a demon," Airisu informed her plump sister, "They're like us—sort of. But they're powerful and they have tempers. We better not wake this one up."

"But maybe she could help us get out," Bara suggested.

"Or maybe she will fail and then eat us," Airisu replied, flying back over to a scuff she'd made in the glass in their attempts to break free.

"Besides, how do we even wake her up," Tsuta asked, "We've been making all kinds of noise since we've hatched. Surely she would have awoken with all that."

"Stop talking about her," Airisu called, "We have to figure out how to get out of here and you two are sucking up all the air."

"What about a waking charm," Bara suggested.

"No. Quit it with the demoness talk. We have to figure out how to get out of here. If we don't find somewhere to hide come sunrise we're—well, we're toast."

Tsuta gulped.

The other two fairies went off to investigate the seams in the glass, leaving Bara alone peering at the sleeping giant.

Timidly, she pressed her hand into the giant's cheek. It was warm. Her breath smelled like flowers and… dog kibble, Bara discovered and covered her mouth.

"Hello," she asked the large woman, "Are you alive? If so, would you mind waking up? You see: if we don't get out of here and find a place to sleep the sun will burn us up. So, yeah, if you could wake up that would be really great."

The demon did not stir.

"Hello," Bara tried again with more enthusiasm, "We really do need your help."

Nothing.

"Well, you're just being rude," Bara muttered and glanced over at her sisters. Their respective orbs of light could be seen behind the demon's hip. "If this doesn't work, I'm never gonna hear the end of it," she muttered.

Looking over her shoulder she saw rays of sun peeking up over the trees. "Well," she muttered, "Here goes nothing."

Crafting a plume of her own fairy magic, she formed a yellow cloud and clinched her eyes shut. "Please work," she whispered and shouted, "Awake!"

She cast the cloud into the giant's mouth, just as her sisters buzzed over, red in the face and devil-eyed.

When they were sure the demon wasn't going to move, Airisu laid into Bara. "What were you thinking," she demanded, "I told you not to do anything with this monster. We have only minutes left and now we don't even have your magic to help with _actually_ escape. You are so irresponsible! I can't believe I'm stuck with—"

But she stopped short when the giant let out a loud and pressing cough so powerful that it thrust all three fairies into the glass. The demon lurched up crashing her head into the glass, shattering it, before falling back down into her apparent sleep.

"Well," Airisu muttered, "You still should have listened."

"Oh, leave her alone," Tsuta laughed, flying out of the coffin. "At least we're free!"

"I suppose," Airisu replied, "Just come on. Let's find shelter."

But Bara stayed still next to the giant. "Don't you think we should see if she's okay? Maybe find some help for her?"

"You're so silly, Bara," Airisu replied.

The giant's eyes and nose twitched strangely, so Bara—ever helpful—flew up over her mouth and peered in. There she saw it—deep in the giants mouth there was a silver gleam shining out.

"Come on, Bara," Airisu called, but she didn't budge. She fluttered down onto the giant's lip and reached in.

"All most," she muttered; glancing the top of the silver with her fingers. She had to go in further.

"Airisu! Tsuta! Help me!"

Her sisters peered into the coffin hesitantly.

"I need help getting this out of her mouth," Bara called.

"What is it," Tsuta asked.

Airisu swatted her shoulder. "It doesn't matter! Get away from there! The sun will be up any second and you will be a sun-dried fairy!"

"_Help_ me," Bara cried.

Glancing over at Airisu, Tsuta shrugged and lowered herself into the coffin.

"Idiots," Airisu muttered.

Tsuta braced herself and helped lower Bara further into the giant's mouth. Closer still, she could grasp the charm, but it was stuck.

"I need help! I can't get it! Airisu! Help Tsuta pull!"

"No," cried Airisu nervously, "The sun!"

"Come on," both sisters cried in unison.

Wiping away a tear of anger, Airisu flew down to her sisters and took hold of Tsuta waist.

"Pull," shouted Bara.

The three fairy sisters pulled with all their might and, with some budging, the charm let loose, sending them flying out of the coffin and into a bush.

"Told you we'd make it to a bush," Bara joked when they caught their breath.

Airisu elbowed her in the stomach.

They watched as the giant started to move. She sat up through the hole in the coffin and rubbed her eyes.

Bara flew out despite Airisu's objections and up to the giant.

"Here you go," she said to the giant, handing her the charm. "I think this is what was keeping you asleep."

The demon took the charm and read aloud: "Pet" and chuckled.

"Does it mean anything to you," Bara asked.

"Yes," the demon replied. Her voice was gravely and choked with tears. "Thank you."

Bara smiled. "What's your name?"

The demon clutched the charm in her hand and wiped tears away with the balled fist. "My name is Kaoru."

"I'm Bara," she replied, "And those are my sisters. The green one is Tsuta and the pompous one is Airisu."

Kaoru smiled through the tears and bowed low to the three. "I'm in your debt."

"What was that, anyway," Bara asked.

"Oh, no you don't," Airisu trilled, "You'll have to save the story for another time. Now, we're leaving for shelter! The sun is nearly up!"

"You'll tell me the story then, sometime," Bara called as her sister dragged her into the bush.

"Anytime," Kaoru called back.

Once the fairies were gone and the sun had started to rise purple and pink and wide in the sky, Kaoru fell down in the grass and cried happy tears. "The sun," she shouted, "I can't believe it's the sun!"

Sitting up after sunning herself for a long time, she turned toward the town and charged off toward it.

'I'm coming for you, Sesshomaru,' she thought, 'I'm coming.'


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Lord Sesshomaru

A few miles from his home, Lord Sesshomaru halted abruptly and turned on his heel to look up at the sky. There was something amiss. Something was different. But the sun rose like it had every day before. He could hear the farmers in the village walking up and moving onto their fields, as they did every morning. There was no impending weather to sense or dark moon to look to, but still, a shiver like he'd never felt careened through his spin and out his legs—a bolt of electricity striking him and the earth.

His skin pulled tight and Goosebumps ached up. The hairs on his neck and arms leapt up to see the commotion. By any account, nothing was different. And yet—he had never felt the way he did. And it struck him: war. There must have been a great conflict brewing behind the clouds that sat peacefully in the sky. Something to reshape Japan. An epic fight to define his power and mark his days. He would have to be ready.

Turning again, he forged off toward his manor to bury himself in preparation of the rising tide ahead.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

Kaoru

Her feet ached as she hurled herself up the mountain at ripping speeds. In her glass coffin, her feet had been adorned with silk slippers—soft and luxurious, but perfectly useless for her journey. And though it was a short thirty mile climb, the path was wild and overgrown and the ground was broken with sharp thorns that reached up to prick her skin, drawing blood that wet the ground.

Her neck and checks protested the sweat that beaded down. Lounging in the sun had burned her lightly, though only enough to cause discomfort. The leaves and sticks that clung in her hair and rubbed against her enflamed skin irritated the nerves that were laced there and begged her to stop.

But she ignored her damaged feet and skin. She forgot the hair that drooped in her eyes and stuck to her tongue. She even pushed away the crippling thirst that occupied her throat, which had not been quenched in nearly a hundred years. No. She continued on. She pushed forward until, at last, she popped up over the top of the hill and his village was in site and, past that, his manor.

Seeing her home brought a surge of memories that filled her chest and urged tears to her eyes. She would be home soon and back with him again. She would be his wife—a shiver of delight passed through her with a giggle. It occurred to her that he might be home and lumbered off down the hillside.

When she reached the outskirts of the village, she stopped. A village woman and her child walked passed, carrying buckets of fruit. The woman glanced at her and frowned. Kaoru looked down at herself. Surely she was a strange sight, dressed in the finest of kimonos covered in dirt.

"Hello," she said the woman, speaking clearly to try and banish any doubt this woman may have had of her.

The woman nodded curtly and pulled her child in closely.

"I'm—um—I'm looking for the Lord of this area… is he home?"

The woman frowned again. "What business do you have with him?"

This time it was Kaoru's turn to be displeased. Why was this human being so impertinent? At the same time, she felt proud that Lord Sesshomaru had such loyal subjects. She dropped the frown, remembering that there was not a human alive in the village that would have remembered her—maybe they would have heard stories, but none knew her face. It was a pity. She'd always tried so diligently to be kind and helpful to the people—even when Lord Sesshomaru was not feeling so benevolent—it was sad they'd forgotten her.

"I have known the Lord Sesshomaru for a very long time—we are friends," she replied slowly.

The woman stopped frowning, taking on a more confused expression. "Friends?" Then she dropped her child's hand and covered her mouth. She had misspoken. "Forgive me," she muttered.

Kaoru laughed. "It is true the great Lord is not dripping with friends. I understand your skepticism, but I assure you: we are friends and I am here to see him."

The woman smiled and turned to her child, a girl, and said, "Little Yuri, have you heard if the hunting party has returned?"

The little girl shook her head.

"Lord Sesshomaru left with a small number of warriors on a hunt early last week. Last I heard he'd be gone just over a month," the woman explained.

Kaoru nodded, thanked the woman, and turned to go. From behind, the woman called out to her. "Madame," she said, "Who are you?"

Kaoru frowned. "I'm his friend, like I said."

The woman shook her head, "Yes, forgive me, but are you—"

"Am I who?"

The woman looked down and as fragile as her daughter. "Are you the one they tell stories about? The lady asleep at the castle shrine?"

Kaoru blushed and searched for the answer. "Yes, I suppose I am."

The woman let out a small laugh of timidity and bowed. Her little girl followed suit, spilling most of her fruits, which rolled everywhere. She fell to her knees and started to scoop them up, but her mother said frozen stiff.

Kaoru smiled again and turned to go for a second time, only to be stopped again by the woman's ever-shrinking voice. "Madame—"

"Yes?"

"There is something you should—" but the woman cut herself short. Bowed again and wrenched her daughter up and away, leaving many of the fruits still lying on the ground.

Kaoru through to give chase after her, but remained stilled. It was curious, but she had other, more pressing, things to attend to. If Lord Sesshomaru was to be home in a few weeks, what would she do in the meantime? As she headed off toward the castle, she pondered the idea, unaware that the very man she was looking for was sitting in the castle at that very moment.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

Lord Sesshomaru

Inside his father's old study—in his study—Lord Sesshomaru sat alone, feeling nearly at peace. The rich, thick wood that covered the room—its walls and floors, the great book shelves and furniture—swelled memories—good and bad—in his chest. They were memories of studies with his beloved late father, of his maturing into a confidant ruler...of the woman he refused to think of anymore. Thinking of what never could be was no way for a ruler to spend his time. His father had told him this long ago, but he was only now starting to follow the advice. Now that there really was no future with her in it, the best thing for the West was for him to move passed his weakness.

Without happiness or love, he had decided, he would be a better, more calculating ruler. And in the years since he'd be parted from his own happiness, he had changed. He was more the man his father would have wanted to see in power. He had little patience for the unworthy. Humans, in particular, had become a scourge to him, only good for tending to his fields and livestock. She had always worked to make the humans better, more cultured and cleaner. It seemed hardly a topic to consider now that he was on his own.

It was better that she not come back now, he decided, though he would take it back in a lighting strike if it were possible. She wouldn't like the Lord he had grown into. Yes, he had power and was supremely respected, but she would find him cruel and cold. But that was how he had to be without her.

He put the thought out of his mind for the sake of his pride and walked to the bookshelf. Of the rows of red spines, he slid his hand, landing on the warn war manual. He pulled it out and walked over to the table and poured himself in.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

Kaoru

She had never felt smaller than she did standing under the castle walls after so long an absence. She had always thought intimidation and self-doubt were faults only human women succumbed to. But there she was. The hundred years of dormancy had hollowed her out. Though she was physically unchanged, she felt the strength had gone from her bones and her aura withered.

Dirty and weak, she thought back to the first time she'd ever stood in front of these walls. She had just come into maturity and wore it well. Her father had brought her to the West from their home in the North for a very special occasion. The Lord of the West's son was of marriageable age and her father had it in mind that the West and North might unite in alliance with the marriage of their children.

At the time, she was indifferent to this plan. It didn't matter to her much who she married—or was married off to. Part of her duty to her family was to serve in marriage and motherhood to whoever suited their needs, though she had greater plans than just that. But when she reached the castle, only to find that a dozen other clans had brought daughters of their own to compete for the union, she found herself intrigued. Was this man so powerful as to inspire this much competition? Since she was a young child she had been revered as the most beautiful creature in Japan. Of course, this was a distinction she both enjoyed and hated for she was also powerful and courageous. Though if she was so beautiful and well-bred, she doubted she would have much trouble gaining the acceptance for any marriage. But seeing all the beautiful demoness lined up to enter the castle, she wondered if her beauty and connections would be enough.

When the crowd funneled into the grand banquet room in the castle, Kaoru gazed around in amazement at the extravagance of the décor. The tables were bespectacled with food of every taste from the national to the exotic. Even the servants were dressed in sparkling perfection. The people in the hall mingled with each other, waiting for the hosts to arrive. Kaoru, however, was not feeling talkative. Instead, she stood near her party and stared at the grand doors through which the Lord and his son would come.

Soon the doors did open and in strode one great demon, alone. It was Inu no Taisho, Lord of the West, the most powerful demon in the land. Seeing him, Kaoru was impressed. If his son was anything like him, it would be the greatest honor to marry him.

For a while Inu no Taisho wandered around the hall, greeting old friends. He was more congenial than she would have expected. When he made it to where her party stood, he stopped and bellowed, "Old friend!" Her father, she was surprised to see, responded in kind and merrily greeted the great Lord. They turned to speak to one another and continued for many minutes before her father gestured over to where she stood. Inu no Taisho brightened and her father motioned her forward.

"Lord Inu no Taisho, may I present my only daughter Kaoru."

Taking her hand, Inu no Taisho nodded and replied, "It is good to meet you, though it is not the first time. Perhaps you don't remember, but I knew you first when you were a small one."

Kaoru smiled politely. Of course she didn't remember. "I could never forget," she replied.

"My," he continued, "You are every bit as beautiful as anything I've ever seen. If this occasion weren't for my son, I'd be contented to marry you myself."

She thought that would be ideal. "And where is your son," she instead asked.

Inu no Taisho darkened. "Don't worry about him."

She nodded and supposed it didn't matter. Any offspring of a demon as great as Inu no Taisho had to be worthy.

Soon her father and the Lord were speaking again, much to the dismay of the other groups in the room. Feeling isolated, Kaoru excused herself and began wandering the great hall. Though she had no assurance, she felt she would be spending her years in the lovely place. She made her way out of the hall with little notice and down to the gardens. The evening hue cast purples and pinks on the vast green of the flora which went on for as long as she could imagine. She continued walking until she came to a natural lake on the property and sat on a large stone overlooking the water.

She gazed down at herself in the reflection and pulsed with her foot. From the corner of her eye there was a flash and in the water's mirror appeared another figure. She looked up, hiding the start, to find a young man with silver hair and gold eyes looking over her.

"You don't belong here," he said coolly.

Stiffing she replied, "It's possible."

The demon perked and eye brow and said, "Aren't you afraid of me? Don't you know whose garden this is?"

"From your taunting, I would assume it's your father's."

The demon in turn stiffened. "Who are you?"

"I am Kaoru. I am of the North."

He nodded with resign. "I'm to marry you."

She nearly blushed. "They've already decided that?"

"They decided it when you were born."

"You don't sound so enthused."

"I do not."

"Why," she asked quietly, remembering that their presumed arrangement was something neither of them had a say in.

"I do not care who I am to wed. It does not concern me."

"On the contrary, it concerns you more than anyone else."

He sat on the next stone over. He hadn't taken his eyes off her since their conversation had started. She didn't know whether to be flattered or unnerved. He continued, "It's curious that you, of all, would argue the point."

"How so?"

"You're to marry me and gain power for yourself and your family. I'd think you wouldn't want to raise such contrary thoughts."

Kaoru shrugged. "If not you then I'll marry another. I do not trifle myself with such insignificant things as who I'll marry."

"Then what do you trifle with," he asked.

She paused. "I am more than my face and I will not be deemed less for it."

He nodded. "Then you think you'll actually have a role in the governing over the land you marry into?"

"I guarantee it."

He smiled lightly. "What did you say your name was?"

"I suppose we'll be introduced formally later. Why not wait?"

He nodded and said, "Maybe you will be of some use to me."

She shrugged. "Or maybe the other way around."

Shaking off the memory, Kaoru realized her position. She was once confident and strong. Surely the years of humiliation done to her had stained her. Sesshomaru would be able to see that and he wouldn't want her. Though she needed to know and she'd escaped just to learn if he'd still have her, so she made her way around the castle to the gardens. From the most beautiful lawn she climbed a tall tree. There she gazed into a balcony that was attached the room that had been her own so long ago. Finding it empty, she hurtled the distance from the tree into the balcony. Once inside, she was startled by how perfectly her room had been maintained. It gave her hope, seeing her old things just as they had been. The purple and lilac hues of the room engulfed her. Even her old smells had remained. Her vanity was still just as she'd left it, with jewelry scattered around. She gazed at herself in the mirror with some shock. It had been nearly a hundred years since she'd seen her own face. There had been no mirror in her room with Kitsune and it was strange to see it again. She felt as though her face were not her own, just a memory.

She moved on to the armoire and opened it. Inside, her old clothes hung, so old now they were falling apart, saddening her. She was surprised to see a new Kimono hung in their company as well. It was beautiful and new, in a style she did not recognize. Holding it to her body, she gazed in the mirror and realized how dirty and tired she looked. Setting the Kimono aside, she wandered into her bathing room and filled the tub. Removing her own tired Kimono, she sank into the tub where she stayed until the water went cold. Once clean, she crawled from the bathing room, suddenly more tired than she'd ever been before and into her bed. As she fell asleep, she laughed at how ironic it was that she could be tired after a hundred years asleep.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

Lord Sesshomaru

When studying the art of war lead to hunger—as it did for every great lord—Lord Sesshomaru rose from his book and wooden study and made his way down to the dining hall. His study, the zenith of his castle, always proved an irritant to disembark. As a young demon, he would ease this boredom by throwing himself out the study window to land on the ground below. His own weight hurling toward the ground had always proved faster than the stairs. However, now he was the lord of the castle and lords, his mother had always stressed, didn't run inside their castles. "It is unseemly for the Lord of a manor to haste about in his own home. Your subjects look to you in all things. If they see you being frantic for as little as anything in your own manor, they will—whether they realize it or not—doubt your power. It is for you to be poised and graceful in all things and especially in your own home… not to mention your incredible speed will wear the place down and we can't have you living in a hovel."

Thinking of his mother as he strode down the many levels of castle brought a variety of emotions that prove effectively distracting, for soon he was on the third floor—the second largest and grandest of them all after the main hall—where the lodgings resided. It was here where all the Lord's family and guests stayed. As he crossed the hall to the next set of stairs, he passed room after room, each more grand than the last. At the end of the hall, passed the stairs that divided guest rooms from the Lords own space, was his own set of rooms. He had long claimed both impressive chambers as his own. The last door was his personal bedroom, but the one before, with a red door like the ones before it, was the most important, again for the one reason he refused to think on.

On the frame of this door—her door—there was posted a warning: "Unauthorized entry will bring death." Apart from an elderly servant charged with maintaining the room, he was the only one allowed inside. Lord Sesshomaru placed his hand on the door and paused. He closed his eyes for the briefest second and allowed his memories to return. A flood overwhelmed him, nearly sending the great Lord to his knees. His sides throbbed and he yanked his hand away. Turning, he began to head off to his original destination when he heard something.

A rustling inside the room lit his ears on fire and filled his body with rage. He could sense no aura, but now he heard breathing clear as truth. A human, he seethed, must have been in this sacred place. He fought the urge to kick the door in. He braced for entry, careful not to rip the door off it hinges. A human had already defiled her chamber with entry, the last it needed was his destroying the place completely. Slowly, with no sound at all, he pushed open the door and gazed into the dark it held.

On the bed, he saw in the dimmest of light, there was a figure under the sheets. A flood of her smell hit him from inside the room, like she was there, but he dismissed this thought as if it never occurred. It was impossible and it had been so long since he was in the room, it was a reasonable dismissal. He pushed into the room, ready to rip the figure out of the bed and hurl it out the window. Closer and closer he moved, slowing to a speed that was all but standing still. When he was finally over the figure, he put out his hand to ensnarl the interloper. Inch by inch he moved until he could feel the heat off the creature. Then, in one swift move, he jerked the shoulder of whoever was to die, only to stop faster than he'd begun. He was, for the first time in his existence, confused, for staring up at him was the impossible: Kaoru.

He took a step back as she sat up and smiled a nervous grin.

Finding his voice, he uttered, "What are you? Phantom? Ghoul?"

Her smile left and was replaced with a serious line that etched division in her features. "I am neither. I am Kaoru of the North."

And with that he knew it was true. He did not know how or why, but she was there and he was upon her again and pulling her up into his arms. There she was exactly as she had been and so was he. They fit together as they always had and he held her for what felt like another hundred years. And after that he pulled back to look upon her. She was perfect and beautiful. She was the only one in the world. And he kissed her and his whole world went white.


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

Kaoru

"How," he whispered quietly as her breathing changed from sleeping to awake.

She opened her eyes to his staring down at her, a yellow more warming than the sun. She stretched and replied, "Took a lot of work. Really, I'm not even sure how this finally worked." And she told him about everything that how happened in her in her exile—about her escape and the fairies, about her daily transformation and the embarrassment experienced at the hand of Kitsune. She was relieved that he would still have her despite the ordeal she'd been through.

"I did try," he said after she was done.

"What do you mean?"

He shifted under the covers, the muscles in his chest rippling in the light under his taunt skin. "I did try. I tried everything to get you out of there—but in the end. I just couldn't."

She smiled. "There wasn't anything you could have done."

He looked away. "I should have been able to. There wasn't anything I didn't try."

"Sesshomaru," she said lightly, caressing his face, "the witch told me there wasn't anything you could do. Only I could break the curse. Only I could."

He nodded, processing. It seemed to calm him, though another thought darkened him mood again. "I couldn't visit you."

"What do you mean," she asked again.

"When there was nothing else I could do to save you—I couldn't visit you. It made me weak. And by then, after Father had died and I was put in charge of the West, I couldn't afford the weakness. And then—" He paused.

"And then what?"

He was quiet again, not even breathing, and then he turned to her and smiled. "Nothing. I'm just happy you're back."

"You? The great Lord of the West? You're happy? Is such a thing possible?"

"Ha," he said bluntly and pushed her back into the covers.

The rest of the day they spent curled up together, remembering the curves and lines for each other. And when night came, they huddled together and didn't let go.

She knew it was a dream. She knew it wasn't real. But when she opened her eyes, she was back in Kitsune's cottage, in the living room next to a hearth. She was still in her human form and there was Kitsune, in her chair covered by shadows.

"Hello, my dear," she said sweetly, leaning out into the light.

Kaoru tried to pull herself off the ground, but she was weak. She managed to get to her feet, but she couldn't walk. She wobbled, bracing herself against the hearth.

"Oh, of course you can't move, dear. I've had to use as much magic as I could gather to get you here. Did you really think I'd let you move? No. I have a message for you and you'll listen."

Kaoru nodded. She was quivering with fear.

"I'd like to congratulate you," Kitsune began, "And I'd like to invite you back."

Kaoru laughed. "Why would I come back?"

Kitsune shrugged. "It'll be easiest on you now if you just come back. You won't have to go through all the horrible things you'll have to go through if you stay."

"What do you mean?"

"Ask Sesshomaru."

"Ask him about what?"

"Ask him to tell you what he wouldn't before."

Kaoru shook her head. "He isn't hiding anything from me."

"Alright," Kitsune replied, "Figure it out yourself, but just know… once you learn the truth, I can't stay with him or it will mean war."

"War?"

"Yes. War. And then, when everyone you love is dead, you'll be mine again."

Kaoru shook her head and turned to run as Kitsune laughed. When she reached the door, she felt her bones cracking as she morphed down to the ground. And as she became the dog she'd been trapped as for a hundred years, she watched Kitsune laugh and laugh and laugh.

Kaoru jerked awake and up in bed. Sesshomaru was in bed next to her and instantly sitting up with her.

"What's wrong," he asked, gripping her shoulders.

"Kitsune," she choked out, "she said there's war coming unless I leave you."

Frowning, Sesshomaru replied, "That's ridiculous. You're staying here and we will never be apart again."

She smiled wearily. "Is there something you should tell me?"

Sesshomaru stiffened. He stood and wrapped himself up and said, "Wait here." And he walked out of the room.

She sat there, gripping her knees, and catching her breath.

Less than a minute later, he returned. He sat on the bed next to her and took her hand. He pulled out a ring and slid it on her finger. She held it up into the moon light and gasped. It was the ring worn by the Lady of the West and it was beautiful.

"Sesshomaru," she said lightly, "we aren't married."

He smiled. "The last time you were taken from me, we were just one day from married and I couldn't protect you. Now that I have you back, you will never take this off. It is of no importance to me what anyone says. _You_ are my wife and I will always protect you."

Tears welled up in her eyes. They lay back down together and, in his arms, she slept more peacefully than she had in one hundred years.


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10:

Rio was not pleased. It had been two whole days since her husband had returned suddenly from his hunting expedition and yet, he was nowhere to be found. She'd checked his study and the stables, the war tents and the training ground, but he wasn't anywhere. Everyone she'd asked had no knowledge of his whereabouts. It had been humiliating enough when he'd refused to be present at their wedding—instead sending a proxy to sign his name—but now he wouldn't even show himself? Well, it had been long enough and she was determined to consummate their marriage that very day whether he liked it or not. After all, she was his wife, the Lady of the West. She deserved to be officially recognized. And she would be very soon.


End file.
